Editor's Note: Fear- Sometimes it can Inspire

There’s a time when being afraid does you good.

BY DAVID SQUIRES

Published in the March 2012 issue

Confidence is a great thing to have in your work. A full, brimming sense that you know your stuff, that you know when to run and when to stop, that you can experiment without embarrassing yourself, and that the repercussions of risk are rarely as dramatic as you imagined. This confidence is a wonderful thing and I hope you have it.

At the same time, don’t discount fear as a self-motivating force. Whenever you’re feeling too fat and content, make yourself afraid.

One way to give yourself an occasional shot of freshly chilled fear is to pick a business “antiinspiration” — the thing that you don’t want to become.

For best results, it should be something that you see daily — maybe on your morning drive to work. It might be a store covered in “Grand Opening” signs but with nobody inside. Or a restaurant that was once impressive, but now has cracked pillars and weeds in the parking lot. Or it might be a place that was once cutting-edge but now seems sorta ridiculous — yes, “Laser Tag Center,” we mean you.

Every day, when you pass your anti-inspiration, repeat the following:

“I will not be that. That will not be me. “I will work hard. But more than that, I will work smart.

“And I will be confident, and afraid, at exactly the right times.”

Repeat until successful.

Wishing you the very best in business!This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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